BELIEVING A HEAVEN KIND OF STORY
Christine Wyrtzen
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
God is so gracious to give us clues that He is still accomplishing His purposes in the world. His signs are meant for our encouragement. He's talking to us all the time but oftentimes we don't recognize His voice. His hand is always at work but oftentimes we don't discern His fingerprints. We chalk the miraculous up to coincidence or we just plain fail to see the holy in the mundane.
"A virgin will be with child." What if I had been a contemporary of Mary's, a woman in her village? And suppose I had been familiar with this prophetic scripture from Isaiah. Would I have recognized Mary as the virgin God was describing? I am pessimistic. Perhaps I would have struggled to believe her story of virginity. When she announced that she was pregnant and told others the story of the angel's visit, I fear I would have reacted like most folks. I pray today for the ways my heart is closed to His revelation.
I don't want to miss heaven's surprises. Scripture is loaded with promises, promises of God's daily intervention. Today, may I eagerly look for signs of His handiwork. A family member may be softer toward spiritual things. I might understand a spiritual truth never clear to me before. A political shift might occur somewhere and a world leader implements some of God's principles of leadership. A friend's husband might decide that his wife is a treasure after all, and choose to value her. An unexpected financial gift might come in the mail, relieving a financial burden that has kept me awake for weeks.
What are signs for? To keep me on the path marked 'abundant life'. Signs reassure me that God is sovereign and I am to walk by faith. What I can’t see, touch or feel should be more real to me that what is visibly tangible.
Forgive me for my unbelief. Open my eyes, heart, senses to all of You. Amen
Originally published Thursday, 13 December 2018.
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